Hypoxemia, hypoglycemia and IMCI danger signs in pediatric outpatients in Malawi.

Hypoxemia and hypoglycemia are known risks for mortality in children in low-income settings. Routine screening with pulse oximetry and blood glucose assessments for outpatients could assist in early identification of high-risk children. We assessed the prevalence of hypoglycemia and hypoxemia, and the overlap with Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) general danger signs, among children seeking outpatient care in Malawi.

Prospective cohort study of referred Malawian children and their survival by hypoxaemia and hypoglycaemia status.

Objective: To investigate survival in children referred from primary care in Malawi, with a focus on hypoglycaemia and hypoxaemia progression.

Methods: The study involved a prospective cohort of children aged 12 years or under referred from primary health-care facilities in Mchinji district, Malawi in 2019 and 2020. Peripheral blood oxygen saturation (SpO) and blood glucose were measured at recruitment and on arrival at a subsequent health-care facility (i.